


Netflix and Introspection

by SSAlias



Series: here's how regpea can still win [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Post-Graduation, Pre-Time Skip, The Age Old Classic of One Milkshake Two Straws
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:08:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29347926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSAlias/pseuds/SSAlias
Summary: “Toni said you were staying in instead of going to the party at Sweet Water tonight, so I figured something was up but…” Fangs gave him a once over, “Oh my god. You’re going on a date!”"What? No! Nope. I'm staying in just like I told Topaz.""You’re wearing your fancy shirt,""So what?" Sweet Pea crossed his arms. "Can't a guy wear a nice shirt because he felt like it?""Oh, sure," Fangs started, "But not you. Who're you trying to impress?"
Relationships: Reggie Mantle/Sweet Pea
Series: here's how regpea can still win [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155728
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Netflix and Introspection

**Author's Note:**

> as you can see, this is part of a series. the series is the riverdale in my mind where regpea has been developing in the background this whole time. regpea renaissance rising

Dates were easy. All you had to do was make your hair look a little nice and spray some cologne and everything would go smoothly. At least that’s how Sweet Pea had _assumed_ dates worked right up until Thursday when he was asked out and panicked so bad he tripped over a wet floor sign and nearly knocked himself and his sorta-boyfriend (Guy he flirted with? Long-time crush?) onto the floor.

He’d been asked out before, sure, but those were all spontaneous things that didn’t go anywhere. A night at the drive-in, not saying a word the whole movie, the standard “This was fun,” with a peck on the cheek and then nothing. He supposed though, that was how dates usually were in middle school. He’d been lucky enough to be so busy with his Serpent duties that he could avoid dating in freshman year of high school. Then, sophomore year brought his transfer to Riverdale High, and things were consistently hectic throughout junior year. Come senior year, and he’s admittedly a bit out of the loop.

This lack of knowing anything about how high school dates went, aside from what Toni and Fangs had reiterated to him in dreamy tones that _may_ have made him just a little jealous (He was a romantic! So what?), paired with his complete and utter ignorance to how the hell dates on the Northside worked in general, left him in quite the predicament. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so out of his element.

The worst thing wasn’t how off-kilter he felt, nor was it related to the fact that he had no idea what to wear (Ugh. That sounded so girly.), but it was because he genuinely wanted the date to go well. He wanted it to go great! He hadn’t even gone on the first date, and he was already looking forward to the second, and third, and fourth, and- 

(Get a hold of yourself.)

He dragged another flannel out of his dresser with an annoyed huff. He knew he had a dress shirt _somewhere_ in here. It wasn’t anything too fancy. Just plain black, but Sweet Pea thought he looked good in black so he wasn’t too upset about its simplicity. 

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, tossing another pair of black jeans onto the floor behind him. Okay, maybe he should try out some other color. He made a mental note to talk to Toni about it.

With a small cry of victory, he finally found the dress shirt and made quick work of buttoning it up over his tank top. Standing, he looked around at the disarray his room was suddenly in. Glancing at the clock, Sweet Pea realized he only had ten minutes left before his date was supposed to arrive. Cursing, he started shoving clothes back into his dresser. He could worry about organizing it all later. (He knew he’d never bother with it though.) 

A loud rapping against his door made him jump. (Shit. Shit. Shit. _Shit._ ) He shoved the last of the clothes into the small closet in his trailer and ran his hands through his hair as he approached the door, trying his best to style it without a mirror or gel.

He pushed his door open to reveal… “Fangs? What are you doing here, man?” 

“Toni said you were staying in instead of going to the party at Sweet Water tonight, so I figured something was up but…” Fangs gave him a once over, “Oh my god. You’re going on a date!” 

"What? No! Nope. I'm staying in just like I told Topaz."

"You’re wearing your fancy shirt,"

"So what?" Sweet Pea crossed his arms. "Can't a guy wear a nice shirt because he felt like it?"

"Oh, sure," Fangs started, "But not you. Who're you trying to impress?" Fangs lightly punched at his shoulder, mimicking a boxer, "C'mon, spill!"

"No one! Knock it off," Sweet Pea stepped back, unintentionally inviting Fangs in. The shorter Serpent walked past Sweet Pea and into the trailer.

"Alright, let's say I believe you. Your hair looks like shit though, do you want help with it?"

"I can style my own damn hair! Look, Fangs, normally I'd love to hang-"

"Aww,"

"But I'm on a time limit here, and I need you gone before…" Sweet Pea trailed off, motioning to the open door.

"Before what?" Fangs feigned ignorance, already grabbing the hairbrush from Sweet Pea's bathroom.

"Before my date shows up! Seriously, it'll look suspicious as hell if I have another guy here when he arrives!" Sweet Pea felt himself becoming frustrated. He let the trailer door slam shut and dropped himself down on his futon to take a few deep breaths, something the counselor at school had suggested he start doing (although he wouldn't admit to trying it). 

Fangs came back into the room with the brush, "It won't look suspicious. I'm dating Kevin, dude. Everyone knows that." He started brushing Sweet Pea's hair, who was still trying to calm himself down. "So, who's the lucky guy that finally made you lose your cool?"

"I am not losing my cool," Sweet Pea stated tensely.

"You look like you're about to cry,"

"I'm not going to cry!" 

Fangs laughed and set the hairbrush down before clasping a hand on Sweet Pea's shoulder, "Do I need to threaten him to treat you right? I know Toni would be more intimidating, but I think I could do a decent job."

Sweet Pea glared at his (considering to be ex-) best friend, "You will not speak to him," he deadpanned. "Did you grab my hair gel?" 

Fangs rolled his eyes, "You're not using the gel, trust me."

"But I like the gel,"

"Screw your gel, Pea. You'll thank me later."

Sweet Pea heaved a sigh and walked back to his dresser. He was sliding on his rings when a quick rhythmic knock sounded from his door. He looked at Fangs and placed his finger to his lips, signaling for him to be quiet. Fangs rolled his eyes again but pretended to zip his lips nonetheless.

Sweet Pea opened the door for the second time that night and grinned, "Wow, right on time? I didn't think that was your style." he quipped, tugging on his boots and lacing them as fast as he could.

"I considered being fashionably late, but I figured it'd be unfair to shorten how much time you get to spend with me." his date responded smoothly. 

"How generous of you," Sweet Pea said with mock admiration, causing the other teen to laugh. 

"There's plenty more where that came from," his date promised, holding out an elbow to Sweet Pea.

The Serpent rolled his eyes and tried to suppress a grin, then he took the other's arm and allowed himself to be led to the car. He was getting into the passenger seat after the door was opened for him when he heard a muffled exclamation of _"Reggie Mantle?!"_ from inside his trailer.

Reggie looked down at him in confusion from where he was about to close the car door, "I didn't know you had a roommate." 

"I don't," Sweet Pea admitted, glaring at where he could see Fangs peaking through the window's blinds, "It's Fangs. He was helping me get ready."

Reggie looked at the trailer and hummed, then turned back to Sweet Pea with a grin, "I'll be sure to thank him next time we all hang for helping set me up for a whole evening of eye candy."

Sweet Pea felt a slight heat prick his cheeks, "Fine, as long as I get to thank your parents." (Nailed it.)

Reggie cocked an eyebrow, "What? For making me?" (Fuck.) 

"Well, uh, yeah." Sweet Pea said, feeling stupid.

Then, he felt a little less stupid when Reggie chuckled, "Maybe one day, sweetcheeks." He closed the car door and made his way around to the driver's side and climbed in. 

Sweet Pea buckled his seatbelt while Reggie turned up the radio just low enough so that it would be easy to talk over. He then fastened his own seatbelt and drove out of the Serpent camp. "So, I was thinking, since we're testing the waters and wanting to keep this lowkey, that we could go to the lookout, then maybe to Pop's if you're hungry. I have my laptop too so we can watch Netflix or something."

"You've got everything planned out, don't you?" Sweet Pea questioned, slightly taken aback by the consideration.

Reggie glanced at Sweet Pea with a wide grin, "Well I asked you out, didn't I? Obviously, I want you to have a good time. Cut me some slack, bro."

"No, that's not- I didn't mean it like that." Sweet Pea backtracked. "I just didn't expect it." He crossed his arms in a defensive manner, "I haven't dated in a while."

"Seriously?" Reggie asked, glancing at Sweet Pea again. "How has someone not jumped on that yet? You don't have any Southside groupies, for real?" 

Huffing a laugh, Sweet Pea shook his head, "I've had some flings but haven't gone on a real date in like three years. All the ones I went on sucked ass, just by the way."

"Good to know the bar isn't too high then," Reggie giggled. Shrugging his shoulders, "That's cool though. I haven't had a date-date since… well maybe ever. I've had girlfriends, but none of them really wanted to be serious, y'know? It was all closer to, like, friends with benefits territory."

Sweet Pea nodded, thinking back to his breakup with Josie over a year ago and how sometimes it still stung. “Yeah. No, yeah, I get that. Sometimes people just don’t want all the emotional stuff.” There was a pause in the conversation, then Sweet Pea asked, “What made you want to ask me out? Like on a date-date?” 

Reggie tapped his fingers against the steering wheel along to the old rock song playing on the radio, “I dunno exactly.” He made brief eye contact with Sweet Pea and continued, “You're a good friend to me, like really good. You help me out when I'm too chickenshit to ask for it and I… you know. On top of that, you’re fun to be around and we got a lot in common.” 

“Oh yeah?” Sweet Pea grinned, “Normally I’d take that as an insult, but seeing how into yourself you are, I’m figuring that’s some high praise coming from you.”

“Hell yeah, it is!” Reggie matched Sweet Pea’s grin. “I don’t wanna get all mushy on the first date, but I do enjoy spending time with you. I think I really realized that last year. Which I know was shitty for you and maybe seeing you so distraught is part of what made me ease up on antagonizing you and just talking to you instead.” 

Reggie looked at him as they stopped at a red light, “I've been thinking, and don't laugh at me for this, but relationships are supposed to be about vulnerability, right? I don't think I've ever really let my guard down around anyone, so us starting our friendship at a time when you felt like crap followed by a lot of stuff that went down with me helped… uh.” 

Reggie stopped and looked at the redlight thoughtfully. "I think that vulnerability between us made me realize how similar we are. We pack shit away a-and feel a lot? I think… I dunno."

“Jesus,” Sweet Pea said, trying to process everything Reggie had just told him and feeling almost overly seen in a way that made him wonder if he was easier to read than he thought.

Looking at him with a slightly manic look, Reggie asked, "Shit. Was I totally off the mark? Forget I said all that-"

"Reg, shut the fuck up. You're not off the mark or whatever. That's just… I was expecting you to be so introspective and unravel our shared emotional constipation at some random redlight."

Reggie laughed awkwardly, “Sorry. I probably should've saved that for the second date at least.” He looked back at the road as the light changed green but didn't press on the gas, "Did that answer your question though?"

"Yeah, it did. It was a good answer too. Thank you for unpacking your life story like that. Very appreciating." Sweet Pea teased with a dry tone.

Reggie chuckled and gave a genuine grin before driving forward.

Sweet Pea watched Reggie out the corner of his eye as they drove away from the redlight. It was dark, but the headlights reflected off the road just enough to light up his features. He was still grinning, and if Sweet Pea listened closely, he could hear him humming along to the radio.

Reggie was… attractive. Not just in appearance either. Of course, his appearance _was_ the first thing Sweet Pea had noticed about him when they first met on Andrews’s doorstep. Obviously, he didn’t dwell on it (yes he did) at the time, just acknowledged it. He really only started noticing the attractive things about Reggie as a person a year after they met. 

They had both been working at Veronica’s little club. La Bon something or whatever. Sweet Pea didn’t work there long, but when he did, he’d sometimes chat up Reggie who was usually around the bar. It was mostly small talk, and even if it at times boarded flirting (which Sweet Pea was kinda embarrassed by how obvious he had been about his blooming crush on Reggie), they were both very much unavailable. 

Once Sweet Pea was single again though, he felt left behind and his willingness to be nice to people was thin thanks to his self-loathing that was birthed from his newfound single status. 

Not long after, Reggie joined his little pity club and that’s what really kicked off their little self-counseling seshes together. Then other stuff kept them talking, like Sweet Pea’s only friends joining a cult. Reggie’s relationship with his dad becoming known by the whole school. Shit sucked for both of them, but Sweet Pea felt especially empathetic for Reggie.

Maybe that’s what Reggie had been talking about. The vulnerability. That alone feeling that goes away when you can just get stuff out and not worry about what the other person thinks because on some level you’re both a little fucked up and tired of being abandoned.

Or maybe he was reading too far into it.

Or maybe Reggie was thinking the same thing. That was the attractiveness of Reggie’s personality. He didn’t seem it, but he was a thinker just as much as he was a doer. 

(And he has a nice jaw.)

“See something you like?” Reggie teased as he caught Sweet Pea’s eye, no hint of his earlier doubts present.

“Not at all,” Sweet Pea responded, to which Reggie stuck out his tongue and Sweet Pea found it disgustingly endearing. “Are you twelve?” 

“Yeah, on a scale from one to ten.”

“Like an IQ scale?”

Laughing, Reggie pulled up to the lookout. “I’ll have you know I graduated on honor roll this year,” he said, looking self-satisfied.

Sweet Pea grinned, “Yeah, dumbass, I know. I was there for graduation in case you didn’t notice me cheering louder than everyone else.”

“Oh, you were? I couldn’t hear you over my millions of fans.”

Sweet Pea smiled, something that felt more natural than it ever had, “And yet out of all those millions, you still ended up crashing at my place afterwards.”

“I might be playing favorites,” Reggie grinned, parked the car and shut off the engine.

Shaking his head fondly, Sweet Pea looked out the window and noticed that there weren't any other cars around. “Is it always this empty?” he asked in mild surprise.

“I don’t think so. Ronnie and Cheryl’s throwing some shebang tonight by the river though, so that’s probably where everyone’s at.” Reggie explained.

Sweet Pea turned back to him, “Ah. Yeah, I nearly forgot about that. Weren’t you invited?” 

“Yeah,” Reggie started and threw his arm across the back of the seat, “But I thought it’d be nice to have some privacy tonight…”

“So that your parents don’t find out,”

“Bingo,” Reggie sighed. “I’m sorry about that.” 

Sweet Pea turned halfway in his seat and flipped on the interior lights, “You don’t have to apologize about that. We talked about this when we started hanging out.”

“I know, I know.” said Reggie, waving a hand dismissively, “It just seems like a dick move. Like I know you’re into the whole PDA stuff and showing off. More of a dick move now that I know this is your first real date in a while.”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, “You’re taking it out of context, Mantle. It’s just like this until you get through college and don’t have to depend on your dad anymore.” 

“Yeah, but it isn’t fair to-”

“If you say it isn’t fair to me I’m going to kick your ass. And that’ll be disappointing for both of us because it is a pretty nice ass.”

Reggie nodded, a light flush forming on his cheeks. He looked Sweet Pea in the eye, and Sweet Pea felt something he could only describe as “yearning” pull inside of him. “Thanks, Sweet Pea.” A second later, Reggie had recovered from his momentary blip in composure and lightly slapped his hand against Sweet Pea’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go lay on the hood.”

“You aren’t worried we’ll dent it or something?” questioned Sweet Pea, beginning to miss the intimacy they just had.

“Nah, Bella is strong enough. Just don’t scuff her.” Reggie leaned over the seat and grabbed a blanket from the back along with his laptop. He paused for a second and looked at Sweet Pea. "I'm serious about the scuffing though. So lose the chain," he nodded towards Sweet Pea's jeans.

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes but complied and removed the chain he had hooked on his belt loops with a small flourish, "You and the scuffing. I swear."

"I like my shit pristine," Reggie said with a grin, then stepped out of the car.

Sweet Pea followed suit and watched as Reggie laid the rather large comforter across the hood of his car and then climbed atop it. He set his computer on his lap and Sweet Pea sat next to him.

Sweet Pea took note of the fact that all the films in Reggie's recently watched seemed to be melodramatic rom-coms. Reggie scrolled past that quickly with a sideways glance at Sweet Pea, who decided to play nice and feigned ignorance to the feed.

"So," Reggie began scrolling through the trending tab, "There's this new show. A _Charlie Brown_ adaptation."

"What, like a new movie?"

"No, it's a series," Reggie explained, pulling up the show. "It's supposed to be edgy or something. Kevin is pretty into it. Says it's the worst thing he's ever seen. Best trash TV of this era." 

"Ask him if he's seen _Dog Sees God._ They sound like the same thing," Sweet Pea compared. "Edgy Charlie Brown. They call him CB in that."

"Wait," Reggie paused, distraught, "You're telling me there's _two_ gritty versions of fucking Charlie Brown? When the hell did the other one come out and how do you know about it?"

Sweet Pea grinned and leaned back on his elbows, "Well it came out over a decade ago. Early 2000s I think. I only know about it because it's a Broadway show or something. Fangs is into that kinda stuff and he told me about it." 

Reggie shook his head in disbelief, "I'm so finding a bootleg for that." He laid back and folded an arm behind his head while settling his laptop on his stomach with the other. "This is the best news ever."

"You're a Charlie Brown fan?" Sweet Pea asked in genuine curiosity. 

Reggie half shrugged while the show booted up, "I'm more of a fan of tarnishing household names. People get so pissy about adaptations these days. I think it's hilarious honestly." 

"Oh, so this is what Jones meant when he said you have a nasty personality." 

Reggie smirked and flicked his eyes towards Sweet Pea, "Been gossiping about me? I know there's just so much to say."

"You wish. It was just something he mentioned when we first transferred schools." Sweet Pea met Reggie's gaze, "I don't believe it though."

Reggie's eyes widened by a fraction and he looked at a loss for words. 

Sweet Pea really did mean it. He’d seen enough sides of Reggie at this point to know he wasn’t a two-dimensional narcissist. He _was_ still a narcissist, but there was more to him than just that, and Sweet Pea pissed himself off remembering how he chalked up Reggie to just some dick with good hair. Sweet Pea would probably punch anyone who talked shit about the guy now and not feel a single bit of remorse doing so. 

After a moment of silence, Reggie's laptop finally loaded, startling the two of them out of their staring contest. 

Reggie broke eye contact first while Sweet Pea's gaze lingered a few moments more. He hastily moved his attention to the screen once he realized he was still staring.

The show was… okay. Sweet Pea found a lot of the characters to be pretty annoying. (Except Lucy. She was kinda funny in a mean way. Sweet Pea unconsciously shifted closer to Reggie at this thought.) The story was decently interesting though, so it held his attention for a few solid episodes before he began to zone out.

At some point, Sweet Pea’s attention drifted away from the screen. It was a nice night out, with the air just chilled enough that laying near Reggie kept him warm. Looking up at the sky, he noted that it was clear. He didn’t believe in horoscopes or star signs, but the sight of all the stars in the sky made him think about just how seemingly impossible it should have been for him to get here, laying with someone he used to hate.

(God. Why did Reggie’s introspectiveness have to be contagious? Sweet Pea was going to get him for it someday.)

He glanced back at the screen and did a double-take when he noticed it was black. He looked to Reggie only to find the other boy staring at him in a contemplative manner.

“What are you thinking about?” Reggie asked quietly.

“I,” Sweet Pea hesitated. He lowered his voice to match Reggie’s, “The stars are really visible tonight.”

Reggie’s lips quirked up into a half-grin, “Getting distracted by the pretty lights, pea brain?” He turned his attention up to the sky, “I don’t like looking at them all too much.”

Sweet Pea waited for Reggie to look at him again to ask, “Why not?”

“I feel bad for them knowing they’ll never shine as bright as me,”

“Sure,” Sweet Pea nodded, “But what’s the real reason?”

Reggie’s grin fell. Sweet Pea could tell he was biting the inside of his cheek, and he wanted to tell him to relax but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Reggie eventually let out a small huff. “It looks lonely,” he admitted, turning back to the stars, “I’ve got enough of that as it is.”

"You've got me," Sweet Pea pointed out. "Even if we weren't on a date, we've been friends for a while, and if you needed me I'd be there. The same goes for the friends you do have. Keller, Andrews. Fangs and Toni like you too."

"I said I didn't want to get mushy on the first date," Reggie said weakly, glancing at Sweet Pea before covering his face with his hands, "That means a lot, Sweet Pea. I… I'm not used to having people in my corner."

Sweet Pea felt his face contort into momentary sadness. "Well, get used to it, Mantle. I'm loyal 'till the end."

Reggie let out a quiet laugh and slowly lowered his hands, "Ride or die, huh? All you knock-off greasers are cut from the same cloth."

"You're welcome," Sweet Pea said, hearing the underlying thanks in Reggie's voice. "You know, you're a lot cuter when you open up. If it takes going on dates to get you all gooey, I think we should have them more often."

Reggie turned his head to Sweet Pea, "You're not allowed to tell anyone."

Smiling, Sweet Pea admitted, "I'd rather keep this to myself."

Reggie's eyes flicked to Sweet Pea's lips and it brought back a memory of himself doing the same thing when they first met.

"Sweet Pea," Reggie spoke softly, "Do you have anything against kissing on the first date?"

Sweet Pea's brain told him to shake his head, but his body wouldn't comply, too honed in on watching every micro-expression on Reggie's face. On instinct of wanting to get closer and see more, _feel_ more, Sweet Pea leaned closer and swiped his tongue across his lips, "Not if it's with you." 

Reggie grinned bright and wolfishly, and Sweet Pea felt something inside of him he was scared to define before the other boy closed the rest of the distance and pressed their lips together.

It was softer, lighter than Sweet Pea had expected. Reggie had always seemed like fire to him, moving in unpredictable ways to cause maximum chaos, but now he seemed like air. He was just _there_ , existing in the same space as Sweet Pea.

Eventually, a hand found its way to the back of his neck, and with only a touch of nose butting, Reggie slotted their mouths in a way that Sweet Pea was more used to.

He brought his own hand up to Reggie's hip and thumbed circles into the bone there, earning an appreciative hum from his date. He began to zone out again, but this time not from disinterest but rather contentment. 

His senses only heightened again once Reggie added a bit more force behind the kiss. Sweet Pea, not one to back down from a show of strength, returned the sentiment ten-fold. Before long, a tongue probed at lips and Sweet Pea wasn't sure where one of them ended and the other began.

They'd agreed to take things fairly slow though, so their kiss steadily trickled into quick pecks and then nothing more than their puffs of breath intermingling within each other's space.

When they both seemed more in control of their bearings, Sweet Pea made sure to get the first word in. "For a mangy mutt, you sure didn't slobber as much as I expected."

Reggie's eyes lit up in mirth as he broke into a snorting fit of laughter. "You're not funny," he got out in between giggles, "You're not funny. I'm just in a good mood so it seems like you are." 

"I'm hilarious," Sweet Pea grinned then added, "Fuck me, why do you have such a cute laugh?"

"Shut up, dickbean!" Reggie laughed harder, and Sweet Pea caved in at the insult as his own laughter bubbled out.

" _Dickbean?_ " he asked in a squeak, "What the hell, Mantle? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! What-" he broke off into laughter again, "What does that even _mean?_ "

"It means you're a dickbean! Dumbass." Reggie explained, attempting to level his voice and failing miserably. “Your dick is a bean? You dickbean? You dick beans?”

"Stop, stop, stop," Sweet Pea pleaded, "My side aches. I swear to god, shut up. It’s not even funny. I hate you so much." 

"Okay, okay." Reggie relented. "Holy shit, are you actually crying?" He leaned closer to Sweet Pea who immediately pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, and Reggie shook his shoulder. "Sweet Pea. _Sweet Pea_. Look at me."

"No,"

"You big baby," Reggie wrapped his hands around Sweet Pea's wrists and tried to wrestle his hands away, "C'mon! Lemme kiss you!"

"I don't need to move my hands for you to kiss me!" 

Sweet Pea felt the grip on his wrists slacken a little before hearing Reggie say, "It'd be a lot more romantic if we held hands though." Suddenly Reggie's voice was right next to his ear, "But if that doesn't do it for you, imagine me holding them down instead and pinning you to the car. How's that sound?" 

(Way too appealing. _Fuck-_ )

Sweet Pea's concentration on blocking his face lapsed just enough to allow Reggie to yank his hands away. He peered down at Sweet Pea with a proud grin while intertwining their fingers, "Hey, sweetcheeks."

“Reginald,” Sweet Pea responded flatly but gave a light squeeze to Reggie’s hands. “Nice weather we’re having.”

“Hm,” Reggie hummed, “Nice view too.” He pulled one hand away and brought it to Sweet Pea’s hair. “You should leave your hair like this more often. Was it Fangs’ idea?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

Reggie’s grin grew and he twirled a strand of hair, “Your fashion sense leaves a lot to be desired, babe. You’re lucky black looks good on you otherwise I’d be making fun of your edgy ass.”

“Your letterman is ugly. Just so you know. It only looks good on you because you have a small waist,” Sweet Pea said defensively. 

“I can pull anything off, Pea. You could too if you didn’t try so hard to look like a depressed _Lost Boys_ reject,” said Reggie as he ruffled Sweet Pea’s hair. “Ready for food?”

“As in one milkshake two straws?”

“Cute, but no.” Reggie sat up, “I want my own, and I know you like vanilla more than chocolate.”

Sweet Pea also sat up, “I’d drink your overly sweet chocolate with you.”

“But I’m not sharing my overly sweet chocolate. Maybe next date, sweetheart.” 

Reggie grabbed his laptop and slid off the hood of the car. He held his free hand out to Sweet Pea, who rolled his eyes before grasping it and climbing off. Sweet Pea snatched the comforter off the hood before Reggie had the chance to and neatly folded it.

He opened the back door of the car and placed the blanket in its original place. Then, Sweet Pea reached over the top of the car, "Computer."

Reggie raised an eyebrow and grinned before handing over the laptop and getting in the driver's seat. Meanwhile, Sweet Pea made sure the computer was secure before closing the back door and situating into his own seat.

"You didn't have to do that, y'know."

"Yeah, Reg, I'm aware. I just thought I'd help out," Sweet Pea responded while reattaching the chain onto his pants. 

"Well," Reggie crunk the engine, and the car purred to life, "I appreciate it. And it's nice seeing you all housewifey."

Sweet Pea halted his progress on hooking the last end of his chain on his belt loop and stared straight ahead for a moment. "Housewifey?" he asked, turning to Reggie.

He was met with another wide grin, "Yeah." 

A beat.

"Are you going to elaborate?" Sweet Pea encouraged, a little indignant. He could already feel the telltale prickle of heat at his cheeks.

"Hmm. Nah," Reggie said simply and wasted no time starting the engine and pulling away from the lookout.

“Dick,” Sweet Pea said.

“Bean” Reggie countered cheerfully. Sweet Pea hastily covered his mouth and turned towards the window in an attempt to hide his laughter.

The ride to Pop’s was quieter than the ride to the lookout, but only in a conversational sense. Reggie had turned the radio up louder and Sweet Pea dug through Reggie’s CD’s until he found one they both liked. They sang along to a few songs but otherwise remained silent.

When they arrived, Reggie, continuing his trend of acting gentlemanly, held the door open for Sweet Pea, who rolled his eyes once more. He was sure Reggie knew he liked it though. It was cute (and made him feel special) and Sweet Pea was already planning to return the favor when he got the chance.

They sat at a booth a little further from the other patrons there and Sweet Pea didn't waste any time starting a slightly too aggressive game of footsie under the table. Reggie, as always, kicked back twice as hard.

(Truly a gentleman.)

Pop gave them an unimpressed look when he walked over to take their order, which caused them to end their game.

"You two are like peacocks," Pop said, "Mixed with bulls. The usual?"

Reggie grinned charmingly, but as he was immune to all bullshit, Pop didn't react much to it. "Actually Pop," he began, eyeing Sweet Pea, "One vanilla shake this time. Two straws."

Sweet Pea's voice turned light and he could feel the dopey smile on his face, "Yeah, Reg?"

"Yeah, Pea," Reggie confirmed, his grin turned less cocky bullshit and more genuine, "I'm trying really hard to think of a line saying I don't need my own shake because you're all the sweet I need, but I can't think of one smooth enough."

Sweet Pea smiled more, "It's the thought that counts." He turned to Pop, "The rest of our order as usual. Thanks, Pop."

Pop gave them both an encouraging smile, "Congratulations, boys. I'll have that right out for you."

With Pop's back turned, they picked back up their game of footsie, freezing anytime he looked their way. When their food was brought out, they made a silent agreement to hold off on the milkshake until they were both done eating. It didn’t take long though, considering they both chose something small since it was so late at night.

Sweet Pea glanced at the clock on the wall. (Midnight already? Sheesh.)

He turned to Reggie with an easy grin, not minding in the slightest how much time they’d spent together. Reggie paused in his process of dipping a fry in ketchup. “What’s up?” Reggie asked.

(The perfect set up-)

“Just my heart rate every time I look at you,” Sweet Pea said surprisingly smoothly despite the very, very real truth behind the statement. 

(Nailed it. _Finally._ )

The tips of Reggie’s ears turned red, "The was cheesy as hell, Pea. If you didn’t have the cool persona down that would not have worked." 

"You think I'm cool?" Sweet Pea reiterated, clear shock in his voice. "Me?"

"Yeah, you!" exclaimed Reggie before glancing around the diner sheepishly. Pop raised an eyebrow at him, then dismissed him with a shake of his head and fond grin. Reggie lowered his voice, "I've been rambling nonstop this entire date! That's like the first rule. Don't talk more than your date. And I've been coming off so desperate, especially when I started complaining to you about being lonely as if you aren't literally on a date with me. And then any time you say anything it’s just- ugh. You’re not supposed to be better than me at this."

Sweet Pea took in the glum look on Reggie's face and felt a protective urge start to rise in him. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, he'd felt it plenty of times when Fangs or Toni were in trouble, but there was something off about it now. It was like Sweet Pea wanted to protect Reggie from _Reggie_.

"Reggie, I’ve been losing my mind all night." Sweet Pea bluntly stated.

Reggie stared at him with a mix of confusion and disbelief. Gradually, his eyes turned big and sad and Sweet Pea thought about how he'd seen dogs give the same look after being rejected.

"Not in a bad way," Sweet Pea was quick to add. "I've been hyping myself up since you asked me out, y'know? And I like hearing you talk about stuff, even if it's you telling me about something that's bothering you. I think it's awesome that you like me enough to be open like that."

Reggie's lips parted slightly, “You do?”

Grinning, Sweet Pea leaned forward, “I bet I love to hear you talk more than you do actually.” Reggie’s face split into a smile and he looked off to the side. Sweet Pea threw a crumpled napkin at him, “Don’t tell anyone I said that.” 

“Oh, that would be so embarrassing for you. I have the power to ruin your life right now.”

Sweet Pea raised an eyebrow, “Y’know, I did see your watch history tonight. If I go down, I’m dragging you with me."

“Alright, scoot over big guy, your secret’s safe with me.” Reggie gave and moved to sit next to Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea obliged and moved closer to the window while Reggie dragged the milkshake between them. “Whoever can drink the most in one go wins?”

Sweet Pea sighed dreamily, “So romantic.”

“I’m taking that as agreement,”

“As if I’d back down from this. Get ready to have your ass handed to you, pretty boy.”

“Please. I was regularly doing keg stands by the time I was sixteen. Chugging one milkshake is child’s play.” Reggie bragged.

“We’ll see about that,” Sweet Pea said, trying not to smile. “I’ll tap on the table three times. On the third tap, we start.”

“Second long intervals or I’ll make you walk home,” Reggie threatened with no real meaning behind it.

Sweet Pea placed his straw between his lips and tapped on the table once in response. Reggie copied his posture. On the second tap, they made eye contact, and Sweet Pea felt his heart skip a beat. ( _Wow… I’m fucked._ ) On the third tap, the race began.

Much to Sweet Pea’s enjoyment, it was Reggie who pulled away first, although he couldn’t tell if the red on Reggie’s face was from lack of oxygen or how close they had been. Either way, Sweet Pea picked up the glass and finished off the rest of the milkshake with no problem.

“I win,” he said, sounding nothing less than arrogant. 

“Yeah, whatever. Next date we’re getting chocolate.” Reggie crossed his arms, obviously pretending to be upset. Well, obvious to Sweet Pea.

“Such poor sportsmanship. How did you ever become football captain with an attitude like that?”

“Brute strength, great looks, and natural talent, baby.”

“You’re such a loser,”

“I know coming from you, that’s a compliment. You’re just too shy to say how much you really like me.”

Sweet Pea set the glass down, “Insightful. Except for one thing: I can’t stand you.”

Sighing dramatically, Reggie threw an arm across the back of the seat with a cocky grin to match, “Jealousy’s a bitch, Sweet Pea.” 

Sweet Pea kicked him under the table.

Reggie kicked him back.

“Boys,” Pop warned from the bar.

They mutually decided it was time to leave. Reggie paid for the food while Sweet Pea cleaned the table. He then made sure to beat the other boy to the door so he could hold it open. Reggie played it up, gasping with an exclamation of “Thank you!” Sweet Pea hurried to the car door just to see if Reggie would do it again.

Reggie must have caught on because this time fanned himself and swooned. “My, my,” he drawled in an accent like the one’s Sweet Pea had heard in cowboy movies, “You sure do know how to treat a guy, don’tcha big fella?” 

“I could drive you home too,” Sweet Pea tried.

“Ha!” Reggie dropped the voice, “Nice try, cutie, but you ain’t driving my girl on the first date no matter how hot you’d look.”

Sweet Pea grinned as Reggie got in the car, “Worth a shot.” He closed the door as gently as he could muster, then walked around the hood to get in the passenger side. Once his seatbelt clicked, Reggie spoke up.

“Ready to clock in?”

Disappoint hit Sweet Pea like a truck, “I guess so.”

“Don’t sound so glum, babe.” Reggie started the engine and pulled out the parking lot. “I’m sure you can handle a few hours without Mantle the Magnificent.”

“I might die,” said Sweet Pea flatly.

Reggie grinned, “Don’t worry. I can always come visit tomorrow.”

“I’ll be so lonely,” Sweet Pea continued. “My boyfriend’s trying to ditch me.”

“Oooh. boyfriend status already? _You liiiike me._ ” Reggie sang.

“My boyfriend’s such an asshole. He doesn’t even want to stay at my place tonight.”

“Is that an invitation?”

“He’s also really stupid.”

Reggie laughed and drove over the speed limit, but not quite high enough to get caught for it. “Sure, I’ll stay over. Just to keep you from dying of loneliness. What are we going to watch this time?”

Sweet Pea hummed, “I rented _Sleepaway Camp_ from the video store. We can cuddle during the scary parts.” 

“I’d love that,” Reggie beamed and Sweet Pea couldn’t help but return the sentiment. 

Dates were easy. All you had to do was make your hair look a little nice and spray some cologne and everything would go smoothly. At least that’s how Sweet Pea had assumed dates worked right up until tonight. Now though? Well, he didn’t care too much about the details as long as it was with the right person.

**Author's Note:**

> [Charlie Brown reboot](https://weaver-z.tumblr.com/post/630636423081590784/the-year-is-2031-riverdale-is-finally-over-the)   
>  [Dog Sees God](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Sees_God:_Confessions_of_a_Teenage_Blockhead)   
>  [The Lost Boys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Boys)   
>  [Sleepaway Camp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepaway_Camp)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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